5 Tips On Staying Organized While House Hunting

5 Tips On Staying Organized While House Hunting

People love options in every facet of their lives whether it be varying color schemes, models of vehicles, types of drinks, or even places to eat. Although this flexibility is desired it can oftentimes lead to pitfalls when searching for properties to purchase. Run a quick internet search showing all properties ranging from multiple numbers of bathrooms and bedrooms, include garages and basements. Don’t forget the “required” spacious backyard.

Ultimately the number of permutations of property configurations is endless so homebuyers tend to become paralyzed in the sea of potential selections. The best method to counteract this paralysis is by becoming borderline obsessive with organization. From setting priorities to reviewing excruciatingly detailed notes, being organized allows a homebuyer to remain focused on the finish line while minimizing the superfluous options. Follow the guidelines below to become targeted in choosing homes by narrowing options.

Set priorities

Narrowing down choices begins by creating a filtering mechanism. This mechanism is generated via a set list of priorities encompassing hard set requirements as well as nice to haves. Using these priorities allows homebuyers to quickly sift through the large number of properties and narrow down to those that meet your hard set requirements. Here are a few considerations to help formulate an initial priority list:

Price range

Number of bedrooms / bathrooms

Location (e.g., proximity to schools, hospitals, restaurants)

One story vs. two story

Corner lot

Amenities: swimming pool, backyard, dining room, den, garage

Factor in travel time

While searching for properties, identify and track properties that meet the priority list for future reference. Once a large collection of possible considerations has been pinpointed, note each property’s travel time from your current location. This is a crucial step that pays off when visiting open houses or setting up individual viewings with a real estate agent. Reducing the overall travel time will minimize the amount of effort exerted in the end. The last thing anyone wants to do is make a significant financial decision because they are bored, exhausted, or frustrated!

Begin viewing multiple houses

You’re about to buy a home so this is the fun part! Yes, it may become exhausting viewing 10 to 30 properties before settling on a winter, but having multiple properties to compare is essential. Attempt to line up multiple viewings over a single weekend and coordinate each one based on the factored in travel times suggested above.

Utilizing this process will streamline the viewing process and help hone your priority list faster. Consider viewing properties that are farther away first and work back towards your current home base. This eliminates any long distance driving at the end of the viewings.

Take detailed notes

Unless you have a photographic memory, considering utilizing a spiral notebook and writing down negatives about each property. Don’t just focus on the aspects that you dislike because the probability of finding the “perfect” home is slim to none. Write down everything about the house that stood out to you – the good, the bad, and the ugly. This information is perfect as a secondary filter system in order to narrow down selections as well as refine the priorities list too.

9 Responses to "5 Tips On Staying Organized While House Hunting"

Simon Brooks wrote:
I agree, taking notes is one of the best things you can do while house hunting, it's likely that you've be visiting many homes and it can get quite confusing to tell which is which. If the current homeowner will allow it, it might even help to take some pictures of the real estate as well. That way, if you include the pictures you take with the notes, you can quickly jog your memory about all the features each house had as well as what you liked and didn't like.

Posted on Friday, July 8th, 2016 at 8:44pm.

Megan Earl wrote:
If you're looking for a good house, organization is a MUST. There are so many options out there, if you don't know what you're looking for, finding the right home for you can take a long time. I really like what you said about setting priorities. I think setting a price range BEFORE you start looking is a great idea. My husband and I will probably be moving soon, so I really appreciate this post!

Posted on Wednesday, July 27th, 2016 at 12:10pm.

Megan Earl wrote:
My sister and her husband just started looking for their first home and I bet this post would help them a ton. I love the tip about setting priorities. There are a lot of good houses out there, but everyone is looking for something different. It's important to know exactly what you want before you start looking. I can totally see how that would help keep things organized. Thanks!

Posted on Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016 at 10:52am.

James Bergman wrote:
In addition to taking good notes, I like to take pictures of the homes I see. It is a good way to remember what I love about each home. It also lets me compare the homes side by side. Oh, and as a side note, if you forget to take pictures your real estate agent can often get some to you if there aren't already some online.

Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2016 at 12:31pm.

Ridley wrote:
I am hoping to buy a new home soon, so thanks for the house hunting tips. I will definitely take your advice and set my priorities. For me, price range, location, and number of bedrooms are probably the most important.

Posted on Monday, December 5th, 2016 at 5:11pm.

Kyle Winters wrote:
I really like your suggestion to create a filtering mechanism before you start house hunting. It is especially helpful if you know your budget before you start making this filter. After all, as the article points out, price should be the first of these filters you use. After all, you should only be looking at houses you can actually afford.

Posted on Friday, May 5th, 2017 at 4:57pm.

Jane Ambrose wrote:
My husband and I have been thinking about starting to look for a new house to finally settle down in, but before we do, we want to be sure that we know how to get the most out of searching. It is so true that setting your priorities and knowing what you want for things like price, bedrooms, location, ect., can really help you narrow down from a large list of options. It seems like knowing what you want can make searching easier, and faster. I'll be sure to share these tips with my husband.

Posted on Monday, August 14th, 2017 at 8:45am.

alena wrote:
I like the advice to take detailed notes when house hunting. My husband and I are on the hunt for our first home. It would be nice if we could make it as stress free as possible.

Posted on Thursday, August 31st, 2017 at 7:47am.

Duncan Lance wrote:
I think it is pretty fantastic that you recommend setting priorities for your house hunting right off the bat. After all, you will want to make sure that you know what you are looking for when you start house hunting. By slowing down and actually figuring out what you need out of a home as well as what your price range is, you can actually narrow down your house hunting significantly beforehand.